If one looks at the definition of abiding you will find it to be: enduring, surviving, standing, durable, everlasting, eternal, unending, unchanging, and steadfast.  Does that describe your relationship with Christ?  Does it describe mine?  It certainly does describe how Christ’s abiding love has been for me; but does it describe mine?  How do we lean on Him, unchanging, unwavering in our faith, enduring all hardship or trials, eternally, everlastingly seeing Him as our greatest treasure and then abiding in His love for each step of this journey-trusting Him to guide each step and never struggling to do it our way?  How do we wait patiently for His answer, resting our heads upon His chest in silence?

John 15 ^“1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. ²Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. ³Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. ⁴Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ⁵I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ⁶If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. ⁸Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. ⁹As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. ¹⁰If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.¹¹These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

            The branch of its own has no energy, no fruit bearing, and no life.  It must rely on the vine to provide life and to develop the fruit.  A branch that is not connected to the vine cannot produce any fruit and will wither and die.  Christ so amazingly chose the grapevine to demonstrate the Christians growth toward fruit bearing.  Grapevines tend to be unruly and send forth shoots in many unwanted directions if not carefully managed by the husbandman.  We, so often, are much like the branches of a grapevine.  We take the energy provided us by the vine and willfully shoot off in many directions of our own.  Sometimes we are hurried to become fruit bearing and want to do this for Him; yet, we take off in our own direction and our own strength.  Like, the two year old child who defiantly stands and says; “I do it myself” while spilling the entire carton of milk onto the floor and counter.   We then cry and throw a temper tantrum because we didn’t get it right.  We are angry and pouting when we need to be trained, groomed, and pruned.

            He reminds us that we are cleansed by the word.  Our salvation did not come from our struggling to become more.  We were not able to work our way into the vine of our own doing.  We had to be grafted into the vine by God.  It was not our labor that paid the price for our salvation.  We are cleansed by the Word, that Word being Christ Himself.  John 1: “¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ..¹²But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: ¹³Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”   My Salvation, my justification did not come of my own works; so, how is it that I now want to produce fruit from my own works.   In order to rest in and abide in His Salvation, I must remember this.  The only part in my Salvation that came from me was my faith to believe that He is God who is worthy of all my praise and to be Glorified for all eternity.  Even that I could not have done had God not removed the veils from my eyes that I might glimpse at His Glory and desire it, seek it, cherish it as a treasure above all other treasures.

Then how do we ever learn to abide in the vine.  Is it a hopeless dream that I will ever become a fruit laden branch for God?  Can this regenerate, willful branch ever learn to be fully submitted to Him and quit trying to prove itself by trying to do the work for God?  Will I ever reach that point that I do not weep over the pruning when God so wisely removes those desires I am clinging so tightly to; in order that I might wholeheartedly seek the only true treasure which is God, Alone.  He must continually cut away those counterfeit joys in order that I might seek and savor the only true joy which I can find in Him. Ever so gently He has provided me with glimpses of His Joy and His Glory; knowing that the magnitude of His Wondrous Glory, Love and Joy are too great for this human heart to fully comprehend. Yet, I have felt His Joy just enough to know I want and desire it with all of my heart and soul.  I have seen just enough of His Glory to know that I hunger and thirst after Him as the greatest treasure.  Still there are moments when life with all its trials, sorrows and demands seem to blur my vision.  The depth of sorrow that comes is even greater in those moments because I have tasted of His Joy and His Glory.  I hunger and thirst after Him.   Like David in Psalm 27: ⁴One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. ..⁸When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.”

            As we come to realize that His beauty, His Glory is greater to be desired than anything we have ever imagined; we seek Him and savor Him.  We begin prizing Him, cherishing Him, loving Him above any other treasure; yet, this does not mean that our sorrow is completely gone while we are yet in this world.  We are never beyond the battle on this earth against negativity even within our own hearts.  We do however battle for joy in the midst of all this sorrow.  We may be broken heartedly clinging tight to that joy which we now have seen glimpses of and hold very tightly to it; because nothing else on this earth can ever compare to it. 

2 Corinthians 6:  ⁴ in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, ⁵In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; ⁶By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, ⁷By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ⁸By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; ⁹As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; ¹⁰As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

When Moses asked in Exodus 33 to be able to see God in all His Glory; God responded that no man could see the full Glory of God and live.  So He hid Moses in the cleft of the mountain and passed by so that Moses could only glimpse at God; but could not see His full Glory because it was more than man could stand.  When Moses came down from the mountain, His face shone so brightly that the people awed.  Oh, that I might see just enough of His Glory that His light might shine forth to a darkened world!  2 Corinthians 3: “¹⁸But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”  Dimly, through a glass, I see the Glory of the Lord; while the Holy Spirit transforms me into that image from glory to glory—step by step-little glories to add to more little glories until one day I will mirror Him and reflect His Glory back to Him.

            So, abiding in Him is learning to rest in His Arms knowing that one day I will stand before Him and all Glory will be known.  I can trust that every time He prunes me that He does so with Love so that I may bear more fruit which Glorifies Him more; magnifying His Beauty ever more within my heart.  As I through contrition, praise, faith and obedience abide within His arms of Love; I bear more fruit.  That fruit Glorifies Him more, magnifies His Beauty and thus brings more joy and hope in my heart as I gaze upon His ever increasing, breath taking Beauty. To Abide in Him, we lay down everything to trust Him—no matter what.  Though my heart’s greatest desire is to be standing before His throne; I do not want to go without an abundance of fruit to lie before His feet.  For that reason, I must abide in Him by trusting Him with all my Heart and Soul.  When storm clouds crowd around me I must continue to battle for joy in Christ even while here upon this earth. I must revel in the moments that He does allow those glimpses of Overwhelming Joy and to see His great Glory before me.  I must hold tight to Future Grace which will continue to sustain me into eternity.  Trust, my soul in Him; rest my heart within His love, and forever let me seek His face with each step of this my life until my dying breath.   

            Abiding is trusting my heavenly Father is omnipotent and that He will not allow anything into my life that is not for my edification and for my ultimate joy.  He only removes those things which get in the way of my seeing Him.  Abiding is trusting my heavenly Father is omniscient and that He sees me as the Glorified, Justified, Perfect final product that He is molding.  Like the artist envisions the final portrait as he steadily adds, erases, covers and transforms the canvas into his final completed work; God also sees the completion of His work in me.   Abiding is trusting in the truth that my Heavenly Father loves me.  Abiding is trusting that He is able to speak and stop whatever storm may have arisen; yet, in love has chosen not to—so that I might be blessed and He might be glorified.  Abiding is casting aside all this pride which desires to show God that I can do it myself and realizing that I can only do it when He does it through me.   Abiding is acknowledging the truth that He is on His throne and rules over the just and the unjust.  Abiding is clinging to hope in Future Grace as He has provided.  Abiding is letting go of Counterfeit treasures that I might obtain the Greatest Treasure which is God.  Abiding is knowing that God gave His greatest treasure (His Son) that He might suffer, die and be risen so that a regenerate, guilty heart might be declared righteous and thus be able to share in the Beauty, Love, and Joy that is found in the Triune God.   Abiding is knowing that 2 Corinthians 4:” ⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ⁷But we have this treasure (the gospel) in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”  And abiding understands that in this world, we may have tribulations; but our joy flows only as we allow the life sustaining nutrients of the vine to flow forth through us.  2 Corinthians 4: “⁸We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. ¹¹For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”   as taken from my book Ultimate Inspiration God’s Plan of Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSVSL99cicE

When you think of war, you think of conflict, turmoil, difficulties, pains, heartbreak, chaos, and sorrows.  It is also true of this spiritual warfare that we face as Christians.  The battleground plays out inside our minds and hearts with the attacks coming from every side leaving us worn, weary, and heart broken at times searching for clarity of direction. Sometimes it feels we are unable to take another step in the darkness while seeking even the smallest flicker of light to tell us which direction to go.   At times, there are landmines along the path and we must sit still until directed to move.  Sitting quietly still is sometimes the hardest order for a soldier to perform; because by nature we want to move or attack in some way.  It is hard to sit still while God prepares the path before us, clearing mountains and building bridges so that we may advance.  So, impatiently we often run ahead of God and plunge deep into the rushing waters of the raven because the bridge is not completed yet or we struggle, fall and are injured while we are trying to clear the mountains with our little pic and shovel.  Still, in this spiritual war that we have entered; we are promised the victory in Christ.  The battle at times may seem long; but, we know that Christ already won our victory with His death and resurrection.  So, if the war is won; why are we still fighting?  We need to rescue those imprisoned by Satan’s lies.  We must be marching into enemy territory on our rescue mission.  There are many storms and dangers along this path; but because of Christ we have our armor and the weapons we need to march into this battlefield.  

In our last section of this series, we looked at our Defensive Armor in this Spiritual Battle which are our Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Gospel of Peace Foot gear, Shield of Faith, and our Helmet of Salvation.  We have proclaimed that our battle cry is, "Because of Christ’s shed blood at the cross for my sins by faith in Him, I am redeemed (risen), blessed, beloved, chosen, child of the King-heir of royalty, Prisoner of His Love, servant because of overwhelming gratitude, enlightened by His light, New Creation, and Faith filled Saint."  We also need weapons to march into this battle.  God has provided us with two and you will see that both are engaged by the Holy Spirit’s power within us.  Ephesians 6:17-18 "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit"  In fact, if we look back to the wilderness where Christ was tempted by Satan, Christ also used these two weapons to battle Satan. (Matthew 4)

Weapon #1:  Sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God).  Hebrews 4:12 

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are given the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is He who reminds us of the gospel, confirming to us our positions in Christ.  He enlightens us as to the truth of the gospel.  The Holy Spirit helps us in the understanding of scripture and also helps us to recall whatever scripture we need in the center of battle.  John 14: 26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 15: 26 tells us that “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” The entire Bible is a picture of Christ and that too becomes very significant here. The sword is sharp because of Jesus Christ. Look again at John 1: " ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²The same was in the beginning with God.  ³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴In him was life; and the life was the light of men. ⁵And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. ⁸He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  ⁹That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. ¹¹He came unto his own, and his own received him not. ¹²But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  ¹³Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ¹⁵John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. ¹⁶And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.¹⁷For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God which is Jesus Christ, crucified, buried and risen who has forever proclaimed the Victory for the army of the living God. He is the mighty Sword which we are given and the Holy Spirit within us keeps it ever sharpened and ready for action. 

Weapon #2: Prayer  “¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Jesus Christ separated Himself in prayer with the Father.  He taught us that we are to pray to our Heavenly Father to let our requests be made known, to just talk with Him so He can tell us His plans.  Would a soldier ever go to battle without first getting His orders from His commanding officer? Then why would we? He whispers His comforting words and He guides each step.  Have you talked to Him today?  Prayer is one of our greatest privileges that we should jump at the chance.  I find myself talking to Him intermittently throughout the day as though a dear friend is shadowing me all day.  He is right there beside me.  It is amazing how He shows little glimpses of His mercy throughout the day if you are watching and listening.  He warns us at times when danger approaches so that we might be ready. Even in those moments when we do not know what to ask or what to pray the Holy Spirit is there to make intercession for us.  Romans 8: "26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."   Prayer connects us to the Power of God which surges through us to wield the sword.

These two weapons are used simultaneously.  As we pray we are reminded by the Holy Spirit of the "word of God", all the promises that are given to us.  We then stand able to answer any attack through the knowledge of these promises, through the enlightened knowledge of who God is, and to the affirmation of who we are in Christ. 

So my dear Soldiers of Christ, are you ready for battle today?  Our mission is to go into the battlefield to win souls.  That battlefield is not only the mission field where some are called to battle; but, sometimes it is your own neighbors, your friends, your family, or your workplace.  That battlefield is anywhere that there are people who have not heard the gospel of Christ.  That battlefield is to bring anyone who has not come to the saving knowledge of Christ to a place where they may see and desire to know God—seeking Him as their greatest treasure.   Still, we are to speak when He says speak and remain silent when He bids silence.  We are to win others through our walk of faith. 

I wrote this poem and included it in my book, A Broken and Contrite Heart. I hope it helps you to remember to put on your armor every day and then pick up your weapons to be ready for whatever comes your way today. 

Little Soldier

Little Soldier are you ready?

The battle cry is here

Little Soldier are you wearing

Your God given gear

Did you put on your helmet?

Remembering what He’s done

He provided your salvation

When He gave His only Son

Did you strap on your breastplate?

Is your passion now on Him?

To follow in His footsteps

And shun all willful sin

Did you strap on the waist band?

Holding tight to all God said

And never compromising

So by His truth you’re lead

Did you cover yourself completely

By the shield of faith in God

This Sovereign, Omniscient, Shepherd

Protected by His rod.

So where are we going

To spread the gospel song?

Feet now shod with love and peace

We walk as we belong

So say a prayer, and off we go

To far and distant lands

To spread His gospel to a world

Is all that He commands

Pick up your sword

God’s very Word

Made flesh for you and me

Your hope on Him Assured

Let me encourage any of you who have missed any part of this series to scroll down and read the earlier part of this series.  If linking in through an archived link; then go to www.myglorytoglory.com and there you can scroll down.  My prayer is that it changes your life as much as studying and writing it has mine.  God is so amazing and His Grace is beyond measure.  I stand amazed each day at the grace and mercy He has shown to me throughout the years of my life.  He is my greatest treasure and I will battle here on earth to hold tight to the joy I have in Him though the tempest may surround me.  I will stand victoriously upon His past grace that saved me, His present grace that sustains me, and His future grace that will carry me through battle until one day I stand before Him as He proclaims, "Well done my good and faithful Child". 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoOc5QLVHk0 (Preview)

Throughout this series, I have reminded you that for everyone who believes in the name of Jesus Christ as their Savior; having seen Him as worthy of all your praise and seeking Him as your greatest treasure you hold several positions in Christ.  Those positions were purchased for you at the cross where Christ took upon himself the full wrath that Justice and Perfect Righteousness demanded for our sin.  Those positions are:   redeemed (risen), blessed, beloved, chosen, child of the King-heir of royalty, Prisoner of His Love, servant because of overwhelming gratitude, enlightened by His light, New Creation, and Faith filled Saint.  I have tried to continually remind you of these so that they become ingrained into your mind, for this is your battle cry when facing the enemy. 

Because our work is to bring a dying world to faith in Christ Jesus so they might join the ranks of those who worship and praise the Glorious King of Kings; we are direct targets of Satan who would prefer that all remain blinded to the truth. He wants to shut us up and He wants to destroy every testimony. For that reason, Satan remains very busy about his work.  He is the master of disguises and enters in by many forms some of which are religions which confuse and trade away the truth.  God has provided us with His armor to protect us through Satan’s attacks.  Our Father has given us everything that we need to be more than conquerors.  If a soldier goes forth to battle without first applying his protective gear, he certainly increases his own risk of defeat.  Within Ephesians 6 is outlined for us the armor needed in this battle. He says that with this armor we will be able to stand (not fall, not grapple)—to stand firm, fearless to the very end.  So it is important that we recognize the need to put on our armor daily before we are attacked in battle.

Ephesians 6: 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

So we have 5 defensive pieces of armor and 2 offensive weapons.  Let’s begin with our defensive gear.

Defensive Armor #1: Belt of Truth. We are to stand with our loins girt about with truth.  The ancient soldiers had their loins (waist) girt about with a leather belt that held the other pieces of their armor in place.  So tightly and firmly about our waist we are to wear the truth which will firmly hold in place the remainder of our armor.  So what truth are we talking about? The Bible is rich with the truth of God.  There is the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, He who bore our sins and opened the floodgates of communion between God and man for all who will receive Him as their Savior.  There is the truth of all the promises of God for provision, strength, joy, hope, peace and sustaining grace.  There is the magnificent truth that God the Creator of the Universe with all its innumerable galaxies is still intimately involved in every detail of my little life.  It is important that we read and study His word so that we might know the truth especially as Satan knows the scripture so well and knows how to twist it.  2 Timothy 2: “¹⁵Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  We must search prayerfully for God’s truth so that our belt holds strong supporting our central framework—keeping us standing strong.

Defensive Armor #2:  Breastplate of Righteousness: We are also to put on the breastplate of righteousness.  We are to be covered with moral conduct that comes from a desire for obedience to the Father.  Now by saying this have I returned to “good works of my own volition”? No, as I already explained, we are cloaked with the righteousness of Christ and not of our own; yet, good works and moral behavior are the byproduct of a heart that is fully seeking after Jesus Christ. If your heart is not bent toward righteousness; then ask yourself whether you have ever truly accepted Christ as your Savior. The breastplate is to cover the heart of the believer to keep it ever tender to the calls of Christ.  The truth of the Scripture (the Belt of Truth) helps to hold our breastplate in place. In Hebrews 4 we see:” ¹²For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  We know from I Samuel 7 that God said “for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”  So the question that comes here is, “Is your heart bent toward obeying God?”  Do you see Christ in all His glory through the eyes of your Heart so that you are drawn to obey and follow Him?  Ephesians 1: ^18”The eyes of your understanding (Heart) being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints¹⁹And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, ²⁰Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places”  The breastplate is to protect this precious knowledge which draws us to seek to follow after righteousness, desiring it from the central core of your heart.

Defensive Armor #3:  Footgear We are also told to have our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”  As a soldier we are given here part of the marching orders.  Peacefully, we are to spread the gospel.  As you may note this did not say mouth, though we are to proclaim the gospel.  More importantly we are to live out the gospel through our daily walk and actions.  We are to live in such a way as to cause people to be drawn to Christ.  By our very actions people are to see the peace, joy, and hope within us.  We are to spread the gospel through our kindness and demonstrations of love to a world in need of a Savior.  As Christians we are to stand firm in our convictions; but that does not mean we are out picketing and protesting.  If we bring sinners to Christ then He will transform their life and behaviors.  We are to be ready to go wherever He calls us to and whenever He calls.  Unfortunately, too many believe that their testimony is only verbal; yet, their very lifestyle and responses at work and in the public fail to demonstrate Christ.  For example, a Church Leader may stand up on Sunday with a beautiful testimony of Christ and then on Monday on the way to work is consumed with road rage and curses another driver.  After arriving at work, he may take part in some dishonest business adventure or have an affair or mistreat his employees.  In that case has he carried forth the spreading of the gospel?—definitely not.  In fact if our walk does not demonstrate Christ we would be better off to keep our mouths shut because we only cause harm to Christ’s good news.  Our feet should be covered with the gospel first and our mouth follow after we have shown the difference Christ has made in our behavior.

  Defensive Armor #4:  Shield of Faith ^“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked;” we march forth ready to stand firm.  I daresay, I have and am continually learning that faith is a crucial part in our being able to win in this battle or at least to make progress.  Paul indicated this by his two simple words “Above All”.  Too often we find that we believe that Christ died to cover our sins and therefore, we have a faith that allows for salvation; but we fail to fully accept that this Sovereign God is going to complete that work of perfecting us so that we look like Christ.  We accept that Christ will save us from hell one day; but we tend to doubt that He is in control of every second of our lives.  Maybe He is there on Sunday morning while I am sitting in church, but is He there when someone crashes into my car on the way to work Monday morning?  He is there when a wonderful bonus check comes in and we rejoice, but do you know that He is there when for no reason your boss fires you?  Oddly enough we accept that He loved us enough that He gave His son to die in our place; yet, we can’t believe He loves us enough to forgive a lie we told yesterday.  We like children run, hide and try to cover up our sin as though this omnipotent, omniscient God didn’t already know even before we were saved and He called us to be His anyway.   We might believe in His grace of yesterday; but do we believe in His Grace for today and tomorrow?   Do we really believe that He is omnipotent and that He has our best interest at heart?  If so why do we ever worry about anything?  This shield of faith is to divert all of Satans fiery darts.  His darts are penetrating and cut deep into our minds if not for our shield of faith.  Some of Satan’s favorite phrases are “Oh, surely, God didn’t say that; after all, God would never deny you that pleasure”  “What makes you think God cares about such trivial things?”  Another of his favorite phrases is; “How could God ever really love you after you made so many mistakes?” “Use you, look at you, HAHAHA, what could you do for Christ?”   “Just wait, God is going to destroy you for what you just did?”  “Repent, hogwash, you have plenty of time, just wait until another day when you get older.”   These darts can wear on us and once we believe them we become open to sin moving in and taking over for a moment or a season.  The only strong defense against these darts of doubt is true faith.  I don’t want to make too lightly of this because faith in God for yesterday, today and tomorrow (future grace is equally present as yesterday’s grace) is the central point of our being able to get it right.  Our failures in our Christian walk can always be traced back to a failure in faith.  Hebrews 11: ¹Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  ²For by it the elders obtained a good report.  ³Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. … ⁶But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.  Paul described faith once in Athens by saying as recorded in Acts 17: ^24”God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;  ²⁵Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;  ²⁶And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;  ²⁷That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:  ²⁸For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. ²⁹Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.  ³⁰And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:  ³¹Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”  In this Paul reminds us that to believe means that we see Him as Creator, Sovereign and Savior and that we see everything around us in view of that.  As Creator, He owns me.  I don’t own Him—He created me and my place is to serve Him—not that He serves me. I am not the center focus of my life; everything that I am or have is for His purpose and comes from Him, through Him.  As Sovereign He is in complete total control of everything that happens in this world and my life.  As Savior He gave His son to die to pay the price of my salvation, and if He did that, He only has good intentions for me. So if He is Creator, Sovereign, and Savior then everything that comes into your life is for your good whether you see that or not.  That kind of faith will shred every satanic dart before it even gets close because it perfectly covers you completely.

Defensive Armor #5: Helmet of Salvation: Protect your mind from doubts about your salvation. If you ever accepted Christ as your Savior then no one can pluck you out of His hands. Romans 8:”³¹What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  ³²He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?  ³³Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.  ³⁴Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.  ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  ³⁶As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We keep our mind firm on this assurance of our Salvation. That assurance is based on God Himself; therefore, it is done.

Let us each morning begin by placing firmly our armor and declaring our battle cry, "I am the Redeemed, Blessed, Beloved Child of God; so Satan, you had better flee because my Daddy doesn’t like it if you try to hurt me." 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI4CvsPDcxg (Preview)      Making War in the Heavenlies by Ron Kenoly

We began yesterday with a list of questions regarding how do I know that I am in God’s Will and how do I distinguish His voice from all the other voices that are surrounding me?  When seeking Him with all my heart and soul, why do I sometimes get it so wrong?  Where is the clear direction that we need?  Why is it that when I look back over the roads I have journeyed, I see it strewn with what many would call failures-at least by man’s viewpoint?  What about God’s viewpoint?  Where was He in all of this?

Before we move on to the next few sections of how to put on the armor and how to abide in Christ, I feel it is important that I step aside for a moment and answer some of these questions through telling you of some of my journey.

Anyone who has read my book "A Broken and Contrite Heart" will realize that I spent a large portion of this journey with a heart that searched for someone who would love me and somehow believed that finding that one would confirm God’s love of me.  Wrong theology? Yes, but I dare say that there are many fragile hearts out there who have thought the same.  "A Broken and Contrite Heart" was that aha moment and short of putting the entire book here I cannot impart the whole depth of God’s answer; but, I will attempt to summarize. In that book, I had reached the point where I saw my whole life as having failed God because I suddenly realized it had not been God breaking my heart; rather, it had been I breaking His by not realizing He was the only true love I needed.  That is where the book began and the remainder of the book, some 10 chapters was God’s miraculous, answers of love, mercy, and grace.  From that point, I with great joy had laid down the dream of human companionship and reveled in the knowledge of God’s love.  In fact, I wear a promise ring on my right hand to be an ever constant reminder to whom I am betrothed.  So, no one would have been more surprised than I when suddenly from no where I received a phone call from a very gentle voice who asked permission to be my friend on Facebook.  I looked at their profile and it was laden with Bible Verses so I said yes.  Over the course of several weeks and many hours of online chatting this man appeared by all appearances to be so kind, so gentle and so caring; I wondered if God had decided to give me this wondrous gift of human love and I marveled at it all.  The man would call every night to pray before saying goodnight.  In fact, it was he who gave me the verse in Acts that started me on this series which God has so powerfully used in my life.  In the midst of other turmoil within my world; by all appearances, God had sent a knight in shining armor to help me through.  It is my plan to move to Missouri within the next two years.  There had arisen circumstances which seemed to be born out of evil that press me to move sooner; yet, the mountains in my way of that move from financial to physical loomed large before me as I stood on the truth of who I am in Christ.  I know that God has a plan and He will clear the path.  Still, was this man a part of that plan?  I wondered.  So, as Matthew 17 tells us; the faith that moves mountains begins with fasting and prayer.  That is what I did.  Suddenly, this renewed dream of love clearly proved to be nothing more than a social media scam artist.  Obviously, he had studied all my writing and knew just what to do or say.  Don’t worry, I am fine and I am very joyously in love with Christ–so no broken heart here.  After now telling you about my being a fool, let me tell you the marvelous answers to the above questions in the midst of all of this; and, let me remind you that this entire series began with a verse given to me by someone who meant evil and harm. God; however, had a different plan.  Let me turn you to:

Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

So, how do we know whether it is God’s voice talking and which is the right direction?

1.  Always test it against the word of God.  So study the word, write it on your hearts, and be ready in season and out to test everything by the word of truth.  God will never tell you that it is OK to compromise.  I do recognize that sometimes in the testing like Peter, like David, and like I we will fail and fall down–from which we will learn and grow.  God’s allows Satan to tempt us sometimes so that He might sift away the chaff, the stubble, and the pride which is getting in the way of our relationship with Him.  (For more about that, you could read my book A Broken and Contrite Heart)

2.  Prayer and fasting helps to bring clarity and light to any situation.  Many of the questions we ask, do I change jobs? Do I move?  Do I buy this house or that?  Those questions are not answered by the word of God directly.  Those we need clear direction which comes through prayer and fasting. 

3.  Keep your eyes fixed and focus on Christ, your Savior.  Recognize Him as your greatest treasure and your true Joy.  When you do this all this other stuff does not matter any more and you will find that you are rejoicing in the center of whatever trial or tragedy.

4.  Remember this, God rules over the Just and the Unjust and will not allow anything to happen in your life but what He will turn it to good.  All those failures I said I see as I look back through my eyes are quite different when I see what God has used them to accomplish both in my life and in the lives of many others I have met along this journey.  He took all of it and continued to weave a tapestry that looks like His son.  He has even taken my failures of the past and used them to transform me and more miraculously used those to Glorify the name of Christ to people I have met.  Some have come to Christ as a result of this faltering little pilgrim continuing on against all odds by the strength of Christ in her, many times in spite of herself.

5.  Never forget who you are in Christ.   Because of the blood of Christ by faith and not by works, you are saved if you ever accepted Him as your Savior. Thereby, in Christ you are redeemed (risen), blessed, beloved, chosen, child of the King-heir of royalty, imprisoned by abounding love, servant because of overwhelming gratitude, enlightened by His light, New Creation, filled with His gifted faith, and declared a Saint.

This journey down here on earth is a treacherous journey at times, remember as Paul said;

Ephesians 6:  12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

So to conclude, in order to stand victoriously holding fast to who you are in Christ,  keep your eyes focused on Christ, pray, study His word, remember that God is in control, and then rest in the assurance that He will guide your path one step at a time.  You do not need to see the end, for God does. Do not fret and worry, my friend.  Rather, rejoice even when others try to do evil against you; because in the midst, in the center of it all a loving heavenly Father is working out a plan of good for you.  And as for the man on the internet and for all those who have plotted evil against me in the past, I pray that their having met me will lead them to Christ as their Savior.  I pray His mercy shine down upon them all.  I have no idea how God is moving the mountains before me; but, I trust in His plan and will keep stepping forward-one step at a time, eyes fixed upon Him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0jpHtsSEQo

How do we know that it is God’s voice we are hearing?  So many voices in my head sometimes, how do I know which is God’s voice.  Sometimes, He whispers and sometimes He shouts by the circumstances surrounding us; but how do I know what is that clear direction?  How do we continue to battle this spiritual warfare that we are continuously in?  How do we stand in the midst of all the evil that surrounds us and know that we are standing in the midst of His will? How do we survive the battle, still standing though at times wounded?  How do we continue to march forward when everything around us appears chaotic, tumultuous, and dark?  What do we do when there appears no light upon the horizon? 

Ephesians 6: 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Up to this point, Paul has led these young believers on a journey of discovery of what it means to be in Christ, then he pointed out what the Christian walk looks like when we are centered in Christ, and now he turns to begin to tell us the how to of that position.  At no point in this series do I want to rush my way through so we will continue to march through this as you and I both learn more.  We must remember always that we are in a battle against spiritual enemies that desire to destroy us.  Those enemies come from outside and from deep within our own humanity.  Sometimes we wounded in this battle.  Sometimes we face personal defeat and wonder at how we could have been so wrong.  Sometimes we look back at all our own failures and become overwhelmed with our own unworthiness; yet, in the midst of it all there comes a truth that rings forth.  A truth that presses us on and allows us to stand once more before the Throne of Grace. That truth comes from God’s own words.  Hebrews 4: "15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." 

So let us embark upon this journey of how to battle, how to fight for God’s Joy in the midst of so much turmoil and how to stand victoriously in the center of such a horrific war that we are engaged.  Do not forget the truths we have already begun with.  Because of the blood of Christ by faith and not by my own works, I have been saved.  Thereby, in Christ I am redeemed (risen), blessed, beloved, chosen, child of the King-heir of royalty, imprisoned by abounding love, servant because of overwhelming gratitude, enlightened by His light, New Creation, filled with His gifted faith, and declared a Saint.  Every battle must begin with that battle cry.  We must proclaim it each morning and then we must put on our armor of God to go forth into that days evil.  In the following part of this series, we will examine that armor.  May the richness of God’s truth go with you as we not only look at the armor, but I hope all the questions that today’s note began with are answered as well.  Keep your focus on Christ, write His word upon your heart, pray, and then always remember, God is In Control and knows the end as well as the beginning.  He loves you and He will be your guide every step of the way. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H9JHdsn-EQ